TBILISI, DFWatch – U.S. Marines have arrived in the former Soviet republic of Georgia to hold a two week exercise with the Georgian fourth infantry brigade.

The joint exercise lasts from 10 to 24 March and takes place at Vaziani military base less than an hour’s drive outside of the capital Tbilisi.

The exercise is called Agile Spirit and will involve more than 300 marines from the Black Sea Rotational Force, according to the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi.

The embassy writes in a statement that the goal of the joint exercise is to deepen the compatibility between the two countries’ armed forces, and help them share their opportunities and skills during operations against rebels or peace operations.

Agile Spirit is an annual exercise. It is one of the components of the U.S.-Georgia cooperation. The two countries’ cooperation includes a training program carried out by the U.S. Marine’s Infantry Corps to train the Georgian military to prepare it for participation in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.

Black Sea 12th Rotational Force are is part of the USA’s Marine Infantry Corps. It serves on the Black Sea, the Balkans and the Caucasus region by a rotation principle; cooperates with partner and ally countries and helps them develop military capabilities, contributes to strengthening stability in the region and develops strong partnership with the nineteen countries of Eastern Europe.